Welcome to this week’s edition of Simon Sees!
This week, our signal inspiration comes from the latest episode of The Future With Friends, where I sat down with Michael Schiffner to explore what it truly takes to create deep human connection. Michael’s beautifully imagined scenario takes us to Burning Man in 2045 – not just a festival, but a living experiment in belonging, vulnerability, and shared experience. It’s a vivid reminder that while technology keeps us constantly “connected,” real connection happens when we slow down, show up fully, and meet each other as human beings.
Now to this week’s signals: first, a BBC travel piece on the rise of digital detox retreats, showing a growing hunger for device-free spaces where people can reconnect face-to-face. Next, Reimagining the Civic Commons explores how libraries could help solve our connection crisis, transforming into spaces where belonging matters as much as books. And finally, new research in PubMed highlights the psychological toll of social isolation, and why designing for deep connection is becoming a public health priority.
In a world full of distractions, our challenge is clear: we must create the conditions for genuine human connection. Because when we choose to show up – fully present, and look each other in the eyes, we unlock possibilities that no technology alone can deliver.
BBC
The unstoppable rise of digital detox retreats
“Offline travel is one of the trends of the year so far. According to the 2025 Hilton Trends Report, 27% of adults planning to travel say that they intend to reduce social media use during their holidays.”
MEDIUM
Can libraries help solve our connection crisis?
“If you think about their core functions, you will see they empower citizens, bring communities together, renew civic life, build shared knowledge, foster understanding and create unique partnerships. In short, libraries are a trusted springboard for collective action.”
PUBMED
Heterogeneity of Effects in a Prosociality-Based Intervention to Reduce Loneliness and Increase Social Contact
“Notably, significant individual differences emerged: the intervention was more effective for participants with higher baseline social anxiety and loneliness, and when a greater proportion of prosocial acts targeted weak social ties and a smaller proportion targeted strangers.”
THE FUTURE WITH FRIENDS PODCAST
Ep 14: The Future of Deep Connection
This episode of The Future With Friends is about what it really takes to build meaningful human connections — and what can happen when we take a risk and open ourselves up to meeting someone new. Simon is joined by his good friend (and fellow high-seas explorer) Michael Schiffner, founder of Collective Intelligence.
Michael shares a future scenario that’s deeply personal and beautifully written, perhaps the most profound one yet. He takes us twenty years into the future, imagining what Burning Man might look like in 2045, and how it could continue to serve as a catalyst for connection, belonging, and shared experience.
Building on this scenario, Simon and Michael explore how friendship, hospitality, and openness to chance encounters can transform our lives. They reflect on the role of risk and vulnerability in building trust, and how collaboration allows us to draw on a collective wisdom greater than any one individual.
At its heart, The Future of Deep Connection is a reminder that genuine connections are not optional extras — they are the essence of our humanity and essential to how we thrive and survive, both now and in the future.
Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Simon
